Molecular detection of Bovine Herpes Virus-1 (BoHV-1), Bovine Herpes Virus-4 (BoHV-4) and Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) in aborted ruminant fetuses from Kars province in Northeast Turkey

The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of Bovine Herpes Virus-1 (BoHV-1), Bovine Herpes Virus-4 (BoHV-4) and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) in the tissue of aborted ruminant fetuses using molecular methods. Therefore, internal organ samples (lung, liver and spleen, total n=48) were collected from ruminant abortions (10 lambs and 12 calves) in small-scale family operations in the province of Kars, Turkey. The presence of BoHV-1 and BoHV-4 nucleic acids was investigated with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for the Glycoprotein C (gC) and Glycoprotein B (gB) gene respectively, and the presence of BVDV nucleic acid with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). BoHV-1 and BoHV-4 nucleic acids could not be detected in any of the tissue samples. However, eight of the twelve aborted calves (66.66%) and thirteen material samples (52%) from twenty-five of the internal organs from these calves tested positive for BVDV RNA. Data obtained from this study and identification of the BVDV-specific antigen in aborted fetuses in the province of Kars proves that the BVDV infection is present in the region and plays an important role in cases of abortion observed in cattle. In addition, BoHV-1 and BoHV-4 do not seem to play a role in cases of ruminant abortion in sampled fotuses.